Real Words

I write a lot about saving money and frugal living. For the most part, I believe that it’s really important for all people to be thrifty with their money and I definitely think that it’s something that freelancers need to be really aware of. I’m knowledgeable about all sorts of money saving tips and I share them frequently around the web.

However, I have to admit, there are some areas of my own life where I’m not as good about this as I should be. There are areas of my life where I definitely waste money. Many of these are directly or partially related to my work as a web writer.

Here are the six money-wasting areas of my web work that I really need to work on improving:

1. Postage. I don’t always like to walk over to the post office and wait in line to weigh the packages that I sometimes send out in relation to my work (such as contracts that need to be signed). Often, I’ll just slap on some postage at home and drop those packages in a mail box. I never want the package to get sent back to me so I’m sure I always overcompensate and add too many stamps. It’s only a little bit of money wasted each time but I’m sure it adds up. On the plus side, I’m really good about using recycled envelopes and boxes for all of my shipping (especially when I ship books for Paperback Swaps).
2. New Books. Although I’m a big fan of those Paperback Swaps and other used books that green my reading, I do have to admit that I sometimes buy new books. I usually buy them on impulse and it’s usually a bit of a waste of my money. It was pointed out to me by a commenter here though that at least this supports the author’s work which isn’t the case when you get library books and other used books.
3. Fancy coffee. I am not the type of web writer who frequently works from coffee shops. I usually get too distracted there. However, on the occasions that I do go to coffee shops to work, I almost always get a fancy expensive coffee instead of a cheap regular coffee. And I often get a snack. And those things do cost money.
4. Leaving the computer on. I am guilty of leaving multiple computers running in my home almost all day and night. I do it for convenience even though I know it wastes energy and electricity.
5. Failing to get receipts. One of the worst things I probably do is that I often fail to get or save receipts related to work spending and then I can’t write off those things on my taxes which is just sad. Transportation to meetings and interviews is one that I almost never remember to get receipts for.
6. The home office. This one is a tough one as far as deciding whether or not it’s a waste of money. The thing is that I could get rid of the home office, rent out that room as a bedroom, work from my living room and save a whole lot of money on rent. However, I’m not always as productive with a roommate around. Basically this is probably a waste of money but a necessary one for me.

So these are the money-wasting areas that I need to work on as a web writer. What about you?